1972 Ford Escort RS1600 MKI

First registered on 19th September 1972 and finished in Ermine White, this 1972 Ford Escort RS1600 is set up for endurance and historic rallying.

With an RS1600 AVO body plate, it was prepared for the 1993 Lombard London to Sydney Marathon, an event for which the entry fee was £12,900 - and with the engine alone reputed to have cost £30,000, money-no-object preparation would have been the name of the game.

Driven by John Redding and Sarah Perris navigating, MLP 770L dropped out on Day 25 after being late for a checkpoint. The car has since been driven in the 2008 Classic Marathon and many other stage rallies plus a Land End to John O’Groats charity run by the seller in 2022.

Ideal for either fast road or competition use (or both!) it’s been a while since we’ve seen a more purposeful and beautifully prepared example of a rallying legend.

Modifying a “genuine RS1600 BFAT original AVO Shell (you can still find the original Le Mans green paint)” for the rigours it was about to face meant cutting corners wasn’t an option, so steel wheelarches were fitted along with Ford Motorsport plates and gussets to strengthen the shell.

A Safety Devices bolt-in roll cage would have helped too, and the door bars would have added yet another layer of protection for the crew.

The work was clearly done to a very high standard as the condition of the bodywork is very good for what is a genuine competition vehicle with a known and active endurance rallying provenance.

And it really is the Real Deal: apart from the paperwork that comes with the car, its specification is every bit as comprehensive as you’d expect of an Escort that competed in these sorts of events.

Take, for example, the four Cibie IODE lights that are bolted to the sort of heavy-duty front bumper we’re more used to seeing on a Land Rover. The expression “that’s not going anywhere” was never more appropriate and while Colin Chapman might be spinning in his grave, he never had to prepare a car for anything as gruelling as the London to Sydney Marathon, an event where simply finishing is an achievement and the emphasis is on reliability and durability rather than shaving a few grams ounces here and there.

Other mission-specific modifications include a similarly hefty rear bumper complete with footsteps and handles on the boot lid, a roof-mounted air intake with twin internal vents, external switches for the fire suppression system and electrical cut-out, deadlocks on the doors that are backed by hefted welded latches, Perspex side and rear windows with the latter featuring louvered vents, front and rear towing points, a quartet of chunky mudflaps, a pair of bonnet pins, a large round reversing lamp, and red-painted jacking points that will avoid confusion when you’re under pressure.

Plus, of course, the stunning gold competition-spec Minilite alloy wheels. Made in England and fully seven inches wide, they’re fitted with 205/60R13 Yokohama Advan HF Type-D tyres.

We will never get tired of telling you that experience shows that matching high-quality tyres are an infallible sign of a caring and mechanically sympathetic owner who is prepared to spend the appropriate amount in maintaining their car properly.

As for flaws and faults, the driver’s door doesn’t close as neatly as it should.

That’s about it; sure, there are a few – but only a few – marks and stonechips that have been touched-up but they’ve been done well and do absolutely nothing to detract from the Escort period good looks.

The competition preparation continues inside and it’s great to see the original sun-faded corduroy Corbeau seats from the 1993 LSM are joined by blue four-point Luke harnesses, a Stilo intercom, a retro Trip Meter, and a genuine Works dashboard.

There’s a plumbed-in fire suppression system too, along with an electrical cut-out switch.

A pair of MASSIVE warning lights for oil pressure and battery charge, along with similarly impressive lights for indicators, main beam, a heated windscreen, and the cooling fan, albeit on a slightly smaller scale, give the driver plenty of notice if something goes amiss.

Other plus points include the usual competition equipment like a deep-dish steering wheel, brake bias adjuster, roof vents with a large net pocket behind them, vinyl pockets on the rear bulkhead, exposed fuses for fast changes, a compass, and lots of switches.

A LOT of switches.

But, unlike modern cars where you have to scroll through a series of touchscreens (Tesla, we’re looking at you…) you’ll have the position of these memorised within minutes; Bristol, manufacturers of what were possibly the best engineered cars ever built, insisted that ergonomic enlightenment was achieved by having controls and switches of a variety of designs as the different shapes and textures allowed the driver to identify them by touch alone.

Clearly, whoever set this car up was of the same mind and we salute them for their diligence and foresightedness. And everything is so beautifully labelled it’s more a work of art than a switch panel.

Speaking of art, there’s a fuel gauge in the centre console to monitor the amount of petrol remaining in the boot-mounted tank – and it’s worth spending some time looking at photos of the boot to appreciate how well thought-out it is. Everything is securely mounted in its place, and everything is accessible in case repairs need to be made in a hurry.

The navigator gets an Avanti map-reading lamp, the retro Trip Meter we mentioned earlier, an OMP footrest, and a netting door pocket.

NB: We haven’t checked the condition or dates of any of the safety equipment and bidders must satisfy themselves as to its suitability and acceptability for competitive events.

The mechanical specification is extensive and features an enthusiast’s wish list of upgrades and components.

Let’s start with the (very expensive) engine. A 1975cc Tommy Field Motorsport BDG built to Gwyndaf Evans specification, it is reputed to have cost £30,000 to build in around 2009. It produced 266bhp and 187 lb.ft of torque when it was first set up on a rolling road, and is said to still have fewer than 1,000 road miles under its belt.

The exhaust is every bit as special being a Prepfab Motorsport Engineering system that features a repackable rear silencer that is fed by a tubular exhaust manifold.

The engine sends its 266bhp to the ZF 5:1 limited-slip differential via a five-speed ZF gearbox with an overdrive fifth gear. A Baby Atlas single bearing has been fitted to the rear axle.

The engine and ‘box are joined via an AP Racing twin-plate basket clutch, and a long-distance fuel tank, twin Facet fuel pumps, and a Filter King fuel pressure regulator ensure you’ll have enough fuel for a podium place – and to help you monitor that, a gauge has been fitted in the dashboard instead of the more usual sight tube.

The brakes are AP Monte Carlo at both ends and a brake bias adjuster is fitted along with an hydraulic handbrake and Aeroquip hoses.

All four corners are suspended via fully adjustable 160lb GAZ coil-over dampers that are complemented by adjustable track control arms and a quick steering rack.

Group 4 hubs are fitted, and these connect the Polybushed suspension to a set of genuine Minilite competition-spec alloy wheels.

As you’d expect the Escort fires into life with alacrity and it does so with both good oil pressure and an impressive noise – but then that’s what you’d expect when you combine large carburettors with a big-bore exhaust, eh?

It revs beautifully too and idles as it should.

The engine bay is as well thought-out as everything else. It is decently clean but the emphasis has, quite rightly, been placed on easy servicing and maintenance.

Oh, and have we mentioned how good it sounds?

The Escort doesn’t have a current MoT certificate, however when it was serviced this year by Marsh Motors they did gave it a clean bill of health, and while it is exempt by virtue of its age we would of course strongly encourage the new owner to have it MoT’d at the earliest opportunity. The cost of an MoT is a small investment when offset against the purchase and upkeep of any classic vehicle, and it gives an independent, third-party assessment of the car’s condition, which not only provides reassurance to the owner (and any subsequent purchasers) but might also be invaluable in the event of a bump when negotiating with the police and any interested insurance companies…

The recent Vehicle History Check is clear, and the history file contains a previous MSA Competition Car logbook, the scrutineer’s sticker for the 1993 London to Sydney Rally, an old FIA Historic Regularity Rally car pass, and invoices for work that’s been carried out over the years.

Icons don’t come any better than this; with the legendary BDG under the bonnet and that classic rear-wheel-drive handling, we can remember watching these being driven in anger, swung from lock to lock at impossible angles at improbable speed in the hands of Gods.

Well, you know what? You could be one of those drivers, whanging it against the red line as it slithers its way through the forest, small boys agog at how you defy the very laws of physics in your London to Sydney Marathon RS1600.

The only obstacle is the price, which we think will be somewhere between £50,000 and £60,000.

Still, we don’t think that’s as bad as it sounds for two reasons.

First, you can’t put a price on being a God, can you? (Of course, some have tried over the years with most assuming that their soul, rather than money, would be required. This car proves they were wrong…)

Second, the price of admission might be high but then so should the rewards when you leave the game because you can’t accurately price a car until you’ve sold it, and few cars are as consistently in demand as these, so you might be pleasantly surprised as how little it’s cost you overall.

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located at Bonhams|Cars Online HQ. Viewings are STRICTLY BY APPOINTMENT and we are open weekdays between 10am- 12pm or 2pm-4pm. To make a booking, please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, and read our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.